Life Between Lockers
The halls of Paradise Hills High hummed with hormones and hallway gossip, glittering beneath the fluorescent lights. It was the kind of place where locker doors slammed harder than heartbreaks, and cafeteria drama felt like war.
Xavier moved through it like a shadow. Hoodie up.
Earbuds in.
The music couldn't drown out the pull of his bloodline, but it helped him pretend. Pretend that geometry mattered. Pretend that prom was just prom, not a pause in the inevitable unraveling of his family.
And Theo.
Theo Chester, the golden boy of Paradise Hills. Star wide receiver. Laugh like sunlight. Smile like heat on skin.
Xavier watched him on the field, his muscles coiled beneath his jersey, each sprint a siren's call. In chemistry class, he stared at Theo's hands as he tapped his pencil on the desk, wondering if they'd ever touch his.
Once, in broad daylight, Xavier caught himself fantasizing about Theo leaning in at prom, pressing a kiss behind the gym.
"You okay, Xav?" Dannie nudged him during lunch.
Xavier blinked. "Huh?"
"You were smiling at your sandwich like it told you a joke."
He grinned sheepishly. "I was thinking about Theo. Is it crazy to imagine him wanting someone like me?"
June rolled her eyes. "You're cute, smart, and emotionally unavailable. Boys love that."
Xavier chuckled. "If I ever talk to him without stuttering, someone better light a candle for me."
They laughed—and it was a moment of light. A sliver of something normal.
---
Across town, Xena stood in front of a shop window, her breath fogging the glass.
A black dress hung there—like midnight woven into velvet. It wasn't flashy. No sequins or sparkly. Just soft darkness.
A quiet seduction.
She walked into the store without blinking, fingers brushing the fabric. It was cold to the touch. Alive, almost. It whispered. Not with words—but with want. It wanted her. And she wanted it.
"Are you... sure about that one?" the store clerk asked hesitantly.
"I wasn't," Xena murmured, "until it chose me."
The store clerk started with uneasy at her her taste in clothing.
But Xena was happy with her choice.
She bought the dress. Didn't text Mia. Didn't call Raya or Evan. Her phone buzzed with check-ins she ignored.
They didn't understand. Couldn't understand. Magic wasn't a hobby anymore—it was her marrow.
....
That night, Gen cornered Xena in the kitchen, holding two mugs of bitter tea.
"You're drifting, my little witch."
"I'm focused," Xena replied. "I'm learning."
"There's more to power than knowledge. You need balance—friends, laughter, family, love and mistakes. If you cut them out, you'll lose your anchor."
Xena shrugged. "I'm fine. Don't need one anyways"
"Yes you do. And no, you're not fine. No one who's truly alone ever is." Gen sipped her tea. "Magic will fill you. But it won't love you back. People do."
------
Bloodlines & Bedtime Stories
One night, at Gen's kitchen table, the twins sat across from her, a silver candle burning between them.
Gen leaned back in her chair, a mug of wormwood tea in her hands, eyes shining with memory.
"I was thirteen when the flame first whispered to me," she began. "Not all magic is loud. Some of it... waits. Patiently even.Like it knows you'll need it eventually." She told them.
She talked about her first spell: summoning a feather from thin air.
Then her first victory.
Her first mistake.
Her first love—and things she told herself she needed to forget when it got too painful to bear.
Xena hung on every word, eyes wide, asking questions, jotting notes into her notebook already marked with runes and symbols.
Xavier slumped in his chair.
"This has nothing to do with me," he muttered. "I just want to go to prom. Maybe kiss a boy who likes me for me."
Gen sighed. "You can't choose the blood that runs through your veins, Xavier."
"Then maybe I need a damn transfusion." He screamed, storming out of the room angrily.
---
Naming Night
The night before prom was wet with moonlight. The forest clearing glowed with salted edges and lavender smoke.
The forest was still. The moon, full and heavy like a watching eye.
Gen had drawn the circle in white salt and crushed lavender. Candles flickered around the clearing, each flame dancing with unnatural wind.
Xena stepped forward without hesitation, barefoot, dressed in white lace, ready and anticipating. Her eyes burned with curiosity.
Her voice trembled with reverence.
Xavier followed—but reluctantly. Dressed in his pajamas, he looked out of place in the circle.
Gen's voice cut the silence.
"This is the Naming Moon. The moment your blood reveals itself fully to the Old Ones. They will watch. They will mark you. And they will remember."
She handed Xena and Xavier small stones etched with runes. "These carry your intent. Hold them as you speak your names."
Gen continued, voice sharp now. "You must remain inside the circle. No matter what you see. No matter what you feel. Do not speak unless asked. And above all—do not step outside it once the rite begins. If you break the seal… something ancient will be unbound."
Xena nodded.
Xavier fidgeted in his pajamas.
Gen raised her arms and began the chant.
The air thickened.
Xena gasped as old magic crackled through her veins. Her name etched itself across time. Her spirit split open, not in pain—but in revelation.
Xavier felt it too.
But to him, it felt like drowning. Like something watching. Something licking its lips.
"No," he gasped. "No, I can't—"
"Xavier, don't—" Gen shouted.
Too late.
He stepped out.
The candles died instantly. The circle ruptured. Magic shrieked into the night like a beast unleashed. Gen was thrown to her knees.
"You broke it," Xena cried. "Why would you—"
"I don't want this!" Xavier shouted. "I just want to be normal!"
"But we're not!" Xena hissed. "And pretending won't save you. Magic doesn't forget."
A wind howled through the trees—low and furious.
Gen stood, her face pale. "You've cursed the rite, child. Something will come. It always does when the seal breaks."
A whisper crawled through the branches, not in words—but in hunger.
---
Prom Night
Xavier tried to forget.
Tried to scrub the night from his brain with soap and cologne. He wore a sharp tux, corsage in hand. For Theo.
Tonight would be normal. It had to be.
But mirrors glitched when he passed. His reflection smiled too slow. Too wide. At one point, he whispered something to himself in the bathroom—and the voice that responded didn't match his own.
Still, he saw Theo across the dance floor—golden and laughing.
Theo spotted him and grinned.
"Hey, Xavier. You look good."
Xavier blinked. "You—you noticed?"
Theo chuckled, stepping closer. "You're kind of hard to miss."
Their hands brushed. Sparks. Real ones. Not magic—just heartbeats.
They danced—awkwardly at first, then like they had always known each other's rhythm.
It was perfect.
Until it wasn't.
---
Then a Stranger walked in.
He came through the gym doors like mist.
Tall.
Beautiful.
Green eyes, that glow like a traffic light. His suit looked like smoke clinging to bone.
"Who's that?" Xavier asked.
"No idea," June whispered. "New guy?"
The stranger's eyes locked onto Xavier.
He smiled. Tilted his head. Walked forward.
"You stepped out of the circle, little moon," he whispered. "Did you think the forest would forget?"
Xavier stumbled back. "What... what are you?"
The stranger smiled. His skin rippled.
Not melted—rippled. Like water disturbed.
His face shifted—once, twice—then peeled like wet paper.
Underneath: something skeletal. Something many-eyed. Jaws too wide. Teeth too many. Skin like writhing vines.
"You broke the Rite," it rasped. "And I eat what breaks."
The punch bowl shattered.
The lights glitched red.
People screamed—but it was like no one could see what Xavier saw.
Xena barreled through the crowd, eyes glowing red.
"Get away from him!" she screamed.
But it was too late.
The full moon outside—
Turned blood red.
And the creature grinned, its mouth no longer human.
And it looked hungry.
And their was so many to feast on.